On Wednesday, January 3, 2018, President Hensrud presented the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan to the university community during the Spring Semester Launch meeting
Bemidji State University’s strategic plan, titled “Inspired by Place, Enriched by Diversity,” seeks to elevate the university’s service to the state of Minnesota and its people. This five-year plan (2018-2023) includes five institutional priorities that will help ensure that BSU’s continued development aligns with and advances system-wide priorities of student success; diversity, equity and inclusion; and financial sustainability.
View a summary of the Strategic Plan for 2018-2023.
Read the BSU Strategic Plan 2018-2023.
Five Strategic Priorities
The five priorities focus on promoting student success and growing enrollment through appreciation of the university’s values and geographic and cultural distinctions, engagement in transformative teaching and learning informed by those characteristics and improved representation of the complex ethnic and social diversity of the state and region among both students and employees. These priorities, and their supporting Goals and Key Activities, also have a synergistic intent.
- Build university capacity through distinguishing themes of place.
- Increase engagement with American Indian communities to become a destination university.
- Increase student engagement in campus life.
- Strengthen BSU’s academic identity by infusing its Shared Fundamental Values into all academic programs.
- Create a university culture in which diversity is embraced and all members are safe, welcome and validated.
Key Activities
The strategic planning committee identified Key Activities that would begin within the first three semesters, which we are calling Year 1 — the 18-month period from now through June 2019. Activities are broken down by semester and include such steps as planning, implementation and ongoing effort.
Planning Process
A Message from President Hensrud:
Dear BSU stakeholders,
Bemidji State University has started the process to develop a new strategic plan, which we expect to complete at the end of 2017 and begin to implement in January 2018. The plan’s time horizon will be determined as we begin the work, but it is certain to cross the threshold of Bemidji State’s 100th year, in 2019.
The university has several ongoing goals as we strive to secure a bright and sustainable future for our institution and its service to students and the wider world. Among these goals are modest but steady enrollment growth, greater diversity throughout our campus community and increased civic engagement across our region.
A new strategic plan will demand that we clarify these and other established objectives while identifying additional goals that will allow us to become what we hope to be. Just as importantly, this process will give us a shared vocabulary, a clear timetable and measurable benchmarks for our progress.
I encourage you to use these webpages to follow our progress. The work will largely be done by a Strategic Planning Committee made up of representatives from across the campus and its employee bargaining units, but we will seek wider input at key points.
I speak for many when I say that we are passionate about Bemidji State University and will do our best to ensure the university remains a dynamic center of learning and service for generations to come.
Faith Hensrud, Ed.D.
President
Bemidji State University
Timeline
- January–February 2017
- Form Strategic Planning Committee
- Conduct Community Listening Sessions in 6 major sectors
- Review previous strategic plan and determine what was accomplished and what items remain priorities that are in progress
- February 2017: Review Mission and Vision: The mission and vision will not be revised as a first step, but, rather, consideration for any revisions will be made toward the end of the planning process, if necessary.
- March 2017
- Organize Strategic Planning Process to campus constituencies
- Organize for Town Hall Meetings
- April 2017
- Town Hall Meetings
- Analyze feedback from Town Hall Meetings and Listening Sessions
- Develop goal theme statements
- May 2017
- Identify limited set of major goal themes
- Assign goal statement development to sub-groups
- June-August 2017
- Sub-groups refine goal statements making them SMART
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
- Achievable (agreed, attainable).
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
- Timely (implemented with a sense of urgency)
- Sub-groups identify key activities to achieve goal statements
- Sub-groups propose assessment criteria for goal statements
- Sub-groups refine goal statements making them SMART
- September 2017
- Strategic Planning Committee reconvenes to review, revise and ratify goal statements
- Strategic Planning Committee aligns goals with mission, vision and values
- Sub-groups develop action plans for key activities
- October 2017
- Strategic Planning Committee seeks institution-wide feedback on priorities and goals through campus feedback sessions and meetings with all campus departments
- November 2017
- Revise priorities and goals as needed
- Establish year 1 action steps
- December 2017: Present strategic plan with 1st year action steps to the campus community
- January 2018: Begin implementation of the strategic plan
Strategic Planning Committee
- Dr. Faith Hensrud, President
- Dr. Tony Peffer, Provost/Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
- Karen Snorek, Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Michelle Frenzel, Executive Director for Enrollment Management
- Travis Greene, Dean of Students
- Marla Patrias, Executive Director, BSU Foundation
- TBD, Executive Director, American Indian Resource Center
- Dr. Allen Bedford, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Dr. Debbie Guelda — College of Arts & Sciences (IFO)
- Dr. Tim Goodwin — College of Health Science & Human Ecology (IFO)
- Dr. Bill Graves — College of Business (IFO)
- Amber Fryklund — Athletics (IFO)
- Brodie Karger — Information Technology Services (MAPE)
- Sandra Beck — Facilities Services Supervisor (MMA)
- Kelli Steggall — TRiO/SSS/Upward Bound (MUSAAF)
- Thomas Skime — Theatre Technician (AFSCME)
- Peter Gable (Student)
- Galen Hlavsa (Student)
Strategic Planning Steering Committee
- Dr. Faith Hensrud, President
- Dr. Tony Peffer, Provost/Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
- Karen Snorek, Vice President for Administration and Finance
- Michelle Frenzel, Executive Director for Enrollment Management
- Dr. Allen Bedford, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Dr. Debbie Guelda — College of Arts & Sciences
Communications
April 6, 2017 — Strategic Planning Town Halls: Agenda and Five Critical Questions
Two campus-wide, Strategic Plan Town Hall meetings were held in the Beaux Arts Ballroom on April 6. Attendees were invited to join small groups to discuss five critical questions, and those conversations were shared with the larger group and recorded at the end of the sessions. The introduction and reporting-out portions of the Town Hall meetings were recorded and are available for viewing at the following links:
Communications Archive
- March 20, 2017 — Strategic Planning Update: March 22 and April 6 meetings
- March 22, 2017 — Strategic Planning Update: Planning Meeting Agenda
- April 3, 2017 — Site update: HLC Open Pathway Quality Initiative Proposal added to Background Resources.
- April 6, 2017 — Strategic Planning Town Halls: Agenda and Five Critical Questions
Listening Session Recaps
In February 2017, President Hensrud invited community stakeholders to six Listening Sessions to gather their input and perspective on how the university serves and partners with the region in subject areas that correspond to the university’s academic programs and public service.
- Education (download: 20k .docx)
- Trades, Manufacturing and Workforce Development (download: 21k .docx)
- Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainability (download: 20k .docx)
- Arts and Humanities (download: 24k .docx)
- Business and Economic Development (download: 24k .docx)
- Health care, Wellness and Social Services (download: 22k .docx)
Presentations
- March 2017: Strategic Positioning and Strategic Planning (68k PPT)
- October 2017: Strategic Plan DRAFT Priority Areas, Goals and Key Activities (97k PPT)
Town Hall Sessions
On April 6, 2017, President Hensrud hosted Town Hall sessions with the BSU faculty, staff and students to answer the five critical questions that will help shape the direction of work on a new university strategic plan. The introduction and reporting-out portions of the Town Hall meetings were recorded and are available for viewing at the following links:
Background Resources
- 2014-17 Strategic Plan
- Higher Learning Commission: Open Pathway Quality Initiative Proposal (139k .docx)
- Academic Affairs: 2013-2016 Master Academic Plan (441k PDF)
- HLC: 2010 Report of a Comprehensive Evaluation Visit (574k PDF)
- Athletics Report (769k PDF)
- BSU and NTC Affirmative Action Plan, 2016-2018 (15.6MB PDF)
- BSU Diversity Plan 2016-19 (132k .docx)
- BSU Diversity & Inclusion Workplan (121k .docx)
- ISO Campus Climate Survey (18k .docx)
- 2014 Alumni Engagement Survey (9.8MB PDF)
- 2017 Alumni Engagement Survey (2.5MB PDF)
- 2017 Alumni Perspectives (46k PDF)
- Bemidji State University magazine current issue
- NSSE 2015 Snapshot (571k PDF)
- NSSE 2015 Frequencies & Statistical Comparisons (2.4MB PDF)
- Program Indicators
- Budget: Bemidji State University – FY2017 (19k PDF)
- Budget: FY2015-2016 Annual Financial Report (2.4MB PDF)
- Budget: FY2017 Budget Forum: FY2017 (April 11, 2016) (552k PDF)
- Facilities: Aligned Institutional Master Facilities Plan for 2014 (83.1MB PDF)
- Sustainability: Strategic Plan for Sustainability (link)
- IPEDS Comparison Group Report (241k PDF)
- Strategic Enrollment Management Plan FY2018-2019 (188k PDF)
Accreditation — Departments
- Business and Accountancy: International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
- Criminal Justice: 2016 Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training
- Music: 2014 National Association of Schools of Music (195k PDF)
- Nursing: 2013 Continuous Improvement Progress Report (569k PDF)
- Nursing: 2014 Letter of Continuing Accreditation Approval (31k PDF)
- Social Work: 2016 Council on Social Work Education (95k PDF)
- Social Work: 2017 Request for Progress letter (81k PDF)